Method and apparatus for tracking a transported item while accommodating communication gaps

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus is provided for minimizing potential security problems and battery power usage in a tracking device used in tracking an associated product while being transported along a route wherein wireless communication may be nonexistent or intermittent. This is accomplished in part by having an accessible database of signal quality and strength at a large plurality of locations along given transportation routes whereby adjustments can be made as to the times for the tracking device to obtain GPS location information as well as for times to report any location and or product status data to a remotely located central station. The ability to predict when, along a transportation route communication problems may occur provides the opportunity to notify appropriate authorities in advance of arriving at the communication gap zones whereby arrangements can be made to alleviate potential problems during transportation through wireless communication “gap or dead” zones.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to location determining and moreparticularly to wireless tracking devices and their communication with aremote receiving and/or monitoring device, such as a central station,while being transported between a starting point A and a destination Balong a route which may contain at least primary communication gaps aswell as total blackout of wireless communication. Techniques andprocedures are disclosed for accommodating situations arising because ofthe gaps and for predicting non-communication susceptibility to thecommunication coverage gaps.

BACKGROUND

It is becoming increasingly common to associate an active wirelesstracking device with a product, person, or other animal to monitor thatentities' location while the entity is proceeding from one point toanother. The location of the device and any sensed data can becommunicated directly to a person associated with the tracking device aswell as to an appropriate authority via wireless circuitry unless thedevice is in an area where communication with a wireless network isdifficult or non-existent due to obstructions, distance from a networktransceiver or other contributing factors.

This process is especially important in connection with products andassociated tracking devices that are being transported from a source toa given destination in view of increased theft activity involvingcontainerized goods. Some of the more advanced tracking devices includesensors for additionally monitoring status of the product with which itis associated. In other words, the temperature, the shock events towhich the device is subjected, and so forth can be monitored and thedata may either be stored or communicated to an appropriate authorityfor whatever action may be necessary or otherwise appropriate. Typicallythe tracking device and its associated product are placed in some typeof enclosed container for transportation. The enclosed container willnormally modify the communication characteristics between the trackingdevice and the wireless network(s) as compared to non-containerizedtracking devices typically used for communication with those samenetworks. In other words, there is more likely to be gaps incommunication between a containerized wireless communication device andthe wireless network(s) than would be the case if the wireless devicewere not in a transportation container.

As will be apparent, when a tracking device is in a transportationcontainer, the placement in the transportation container, in otherwords, whether it's in the middle of the transportation container ornext to an outside wall of the transportation container, will affect thestrength of any signal received by a wireless network. Likewise, if thetracking device is near the center of a transportation container, otherproducts nearby may, at times, depending upon the material of theproduct, substantially interfere with any transmission from the trackingdevice to a wireless network.

Further, there are often problems communicating with wireless networksin mountainous areas or where there may be a sparsity of patrons thatwould be likely to use the wireless service, such as a route through thedesert. Also, while tunnels through mountains or under rivers caninclude the capability of wireless communication, wireless communicationis completely absent in many older tunnels. Even in urban areas, thereare wireless signal gaps sometimes referred to as urban wirelesscanyons.

When a wireless device attempts a communication, more battery power isutilized than when the device is merely sitting idle awaiting a futureaction to be taken. A wireless tracking device periodically attempts todetermine location from communicating with a set of GPS satellites,network tower positioning (location determining) data, internallylocated accelerometers, and so forth. When a location is determined,whether obtained from received data or guesstimated by the device, thedevice typically will attempt to at least periodically transmit datasuch as at least the last determined location to a remote receiver suchas a central station. The device cannot communicate with GPS typesatellites in a tunnel and often times cannot communicate with eitherGPS type satellites or ground wireless network infrastructure in certainmountainous areas or urban canyons.

When a system is programmed such that a tracking device is scheduled toreport at prescribed intervals as to its location and maybe even statusof a product being monitored and a central station does not receive areport at the scheduled time, such a lack of report may well beinterpreted as a problem such as theft, breakdown of the tracking deviceand so forth.

It would thus be desirable to find a method of preventing activation ofthe communication capabilities of the wireless tracking device whenthere is little likelihood of being able to complete an intendedcommunication and thus wasting battery power and thereby shortening thelife of available data transfer capability of the device before reachinga given destination.

It would also be desirable to have the tracking device be able toautomatically notify or arrange to notify appropriate authorities inadvance of entering an area having a known history of unreliablecommunication so that the authority notified may take additional stepsto monitor the situation where deemed appropriate by that notifiedauthority. Additionally, upon entering an area of unreliablecommunication, it would be desirable in some instances for the trackingdevice to alter its actions or responses to sensed conditions.

Further, it would be even more desirable to be able to predict when atransportation container having a given tracking device is in acommunication gap whereby an alarm notification is not generated merelybecause a report is not received from the tracking device at exactly ascheduled time. Likewise, it would be desirable to be able to advise atransportation vehicle operator in advance to use alternate means ofreporting to someone since the vehicle will soon be in a communicationgap.

In addition, it would be desirable to be able to advise any entitiesmonitoring a given device of the likelihood of an impending coverage gapto avoid the misinterpretation of lack of expected data triggering thecalling of appropriate authorities to be dispatched to the area. In asimilar manner, where the tracking device is associated with anindividual, it may be appropriate to notify the individual of apotential forthcoming communication problem if continuing in the samedirection whereby the individual may be able to choose a different routeto alleviate the potential lack of communication problem.

It would also be desirable to be able to advise owners of products beingtracked of the existence of transportation routes that do not havecommunication gaps even though travel through these alternate routes maybe longer or slower whereby the owners may be afforded the opportunityto factor safety and the increased percentage of wireless coverage intotheir transportation route decisions.

Likewise, it would be desirable to have the capability to “rank” a giventransportation route, according to both the actual and predictedcoverage gaps based on the real-time and/or historical informationgathered from an installed tracking device or other RF communicatingapparatus, to enable an entity with the ability to change the intendedroute dynamically in response to such information. This capability isespecially desirable where the type of coverage (2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, LocalArea Network (LAN), satellite, and so forth) is an important part of thedetermination and factors considered in the decision.

SUMMARY

The present invention collects and stores communication data fromvarious sources, including data distributed by cell phone and satellitetype network carriers. This data includes signal strength and othercharacteristics of completed communication events as well as datarelating to communication problem areas including communication gaps andintermittent reception.

Additional data may be obtained in a manner similar to various prior artmethods such as a Hebron U.S. Publication No. 2003/0224806 which wasabandoned in April 2009. Since the communication characteristics will bedifferent for different types of transportation containers, it isdesirable, but not required, that a separate set of data be collectedfor each type of transportation container that may be used intransporting goods for a product associated with a given wirelesstracking device as used in this invention in situations wherepredetermined transportation routes are being used.

By making such data available to any portable wireless device thataccesses network communication sites while moving, such as a wirelesstracking device, appropriate programming in the electronic device maythen be utilized to not waste battery power in attempting to communicatein an actual or predicted dead zone where either satellites or thenearest available communication towers are not likely to providewireless access. As will be apparent, the programming can alternately bein a central station and the wireless tracking device can merely be fedsuch information enough in advance to allow it to function as if theentire program were in the tracking device.

The capability of prediction of communication problems if continuing inthe same direction or along a preplanned route permits warningappropriate parties whereby a different action or route may be taken inan attempt to prevent communication interruption.

Such information is also useful in minimizing the likelihood of aninaccurate transportation problem notification to appropriateauthorities in situations where, prior to the present invention, thecentral unit is not aware of a communication gap and reports toauthorities that the lack of receipt of a scheduled communication mightbe because the trailer was hijacked and the wireless tracking devicedestroyed.

Although, as noted above, it is preferable to have a separatecommunication database for each type of transportation container, withappropriate calibration techniques, a database generated for one type ofcontainer can be used for a new container, with acceptable initial useaccuracy, by modifying the values used in a gap determining algorithm inaccordance with calibration ascertained data.

The information and data collected may be used by the system to generatedisplays or other presentations indicating relative safety oftransportation routes as a function of communication reliability alongthe routes. These displays and other presentations may then be used byan entity wishing to have goods transported between a starting point Aand a destination B to assist a determination as to how thetransportation is to take place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of one or more embodiments of thepresent invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made tothe following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is illustrative of at least one tracking device in atransportation container that is collecting location data from one ormore satellites and reporting to a central station any appropriateinformation such as location as well as product status that may besensed by the tracking device;

FIG. 2 illustrates one possible transportation route between a startingpoint A and a destination B that shows the signal strength for receivingsignals by a smart device associated with the product in a givencontainer relative nearest wireless communication towers;

FIG. 3 is a subroutine that may be used in the program of a trackingdevice for obtaining location data from available location providingmeans including wireless signal sources such as GPS type satellites andnetwork towers;

FIG. 4 is a subroutine that may be used in reporting data to a remotereceiver such as a central station of data collected since the lastreport when a determination has been made that it is likely that areport can be satisfactorily completed in a reasonable amount of time;

FIG. 5 is a subroutine that may be utilized whenever appropriate tocheck to see if a communication gap still exists for a portion of aroute previously determined to have communication problems;

FIG. 6 is illustrative of a display that might be presented on anavigation or other device utilizing the concepts of this invention; and

FIG. 7 is illustrative of a display presented by the system when rankingpotential safety of transportation as a function of communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described herein primarily as applied totracking devices associated with goods enclosed in transportationcontainers that move goods on highways. The tracking device, as used insome variations of this invention, may also be described as a smart RFIDtag. In the RFID tag industry, a normal RFID tag is responsive to areader whereas a smart RFID tag includes some kind of computing powerwhereby it can do more than just respond to a reader. In other words,smart tags may respond only to readers of a certain type, at a certainlocation or only other specified other parameters. Further, smart tagsmay include sensors and storage means for storing sensed data to beprovided to readers at some later date.

The system as shown is readily adaptable for use in conjunction with anymode of transportation including airplanes, railroad cars, ships, and soforth. While the explanation of operation concentrates on well-knownsatellite and cell phone tower type communications, the conceptpresented is readily adaptable to any other wireless technology insteadof or in addition to satellite and cell phone tower type wirelesscommunications and specifically including wide area and local areawireless technologies. Wireless tracking and/or monitoring devicesreferenced hereinafter operate in a manner substantially identical witha cell phone, tablet, computer and other wireless devices using wirelesstelephone transmission capability for communication with other devicesand are intended to be included when the terms “cell phone type device”or mobile wireless communication type devices are utilized in thespecification or claims.

To most effectively utilize the present invention, it is firstdesirable, as mentioned above, to collect communication data from withina container substantially identical to what would be typically used whena tracking device is associated with a product during transportationalong a given route. While others, such as presented in the previouslymentioned Hebron application, have checked for signal quality alonggiven highway routes, they have not been concerned with obtainingsufficiently complete data for use in connection with communication fromwithin specific types of containers whereby communication problems maybe anticipated and corrective solutions devised by appropriate softwarecomprising a part of electronic hardware such as a tracking and/ormonitoring device. In other words, if a tracking device notes that thecontainer is approaching an area of intermittent reception that willextend over an excessive time (i.e., distance or predefined locations)period, it may decide, or be instructed, to provide a report to thecentral station or any other appropriate authority, such as the driverof the transporting vehicle, slightly before the area of intermittentreception. If a smart cell phone, tablet or other similar device isdownloading a message or other document and notes the above mentionedarea of intermittent reception being approached, a message may beprovided to the operator of the device to that effect so that theoperator could pull over and stop the vehicle until the downloadedmessage or document has been completely received. By making a reportahead of a prescheduled time (or location), the subsequent scheduledtime (or location) of reporting may well occur at a time (or location)when intermittent reception is no longer a problem in the instances whenthe central station is programmed to expect a new report X minutes afterthe last received report. Although the description from now on willprimarily use time in referencing time between reports and time durationof gaps and so forth, the software can alternatively or in addition usepredetermined locations or distance rather than time in calculations andnotifications. As is well known, where reception is intermittent, ittypically takes longer to complete a communication of data than wherethe signal is strong and the longer time for the communication uses morebattery power—therefore it may be preferable from a battery conservationpoint of view to attempt communication before a normally scheduledinterval in situations where a zone of intermittent coverage is beingapproached. The same solution of a report being made before the normaltime may be used by the tracking device when the tracking deviceascertains that an upcoming portion of the transportation route has noreception. The decision by the tracking device to obtain GPS typelocation data may follow a similar pattern. The database for GPSsatellite reception would be similar to but different from the databasefor cell phone tower reception. Alternatively, databases may be includedfor satellite signal reception as well as where Wi-Fi communication islikely to be available in instances where the product associated withthe tracking device is of sufficient value or other importance tojustify using any available alternative wireless communication avenue.

While transceivers have been used in the past to scan the frequencyspectrum and intelligently select a communication frequency with whichto communicate with other devices based on signal strength and otherfactors using hardware circuitry, this capability is enhanced by presentday transceiver technology that is readily able to implement softwarebased devices that can interact with other wireless devices havingwidely varying frequency and encoding techniques to perform selectionprocess mentioned supra. Such transceivers, as made by Qualcomm andothers are presently known by the acronym SDR (Software Defined Radios).It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that when using SDRs,the present invention may dynamically select which radio or wirelessnetworks to utilize when attempting to accomplish a given job function.

Another advantage of having knowledge of communication problem areasalong a given route allows a determination to be made at the time thetracking device is installed or otherwise included with the shipment, sothat the user may be notified in real time, prior to the shipmentleaving, that the device is installed in a manner that could yieldundesired exposure to communication coverage issues. Thus the user canbe enabled to take action to improve the situation before the shipmentdeparts to a given destination.

While other corrective solutions to communication gaps have beenconsidered, such as altering the packaging of the product or placementof the product within the container itself, these solutions aretypically not economically feasible or practical for anything other thanpotentially dealing with slightly intermittent communication as opposedto communication gaps. In situations where sufficient data has beencollected along a given route, it is possible to compare historicalsignal strength gap information to real time information and makeinferred determinations of possible coverage issues even if thecontainer, packaging or tracking device positioning is different. Inother words, an absolute determination of signal strength levels,regardless of container or packaging variables, may also be useful inevaluating the likelihood of exposure to coverage gaps even when suchvariables cannot be appropriately recorded or controlled. For example,if a database contained historical signal strength information for ashipment transported along the same route as the current shipment, butnot necessarily in the same type of container and/or packaging, and thesignal strength recorded upon loading and packing of the currentshipment is designated “A”, then by comparison to the historicalshipment (with signal strength recorded upon loading designated “B”,regardless of container and/or packaging), a subtraction of the deltavalue between A and B may be applied to all previously recorded signalstrengths along the route to indicate areas of likely exposure tocommunication gaps along the route for the current shipment.

While data collected from within a container during a singletransportation cycle is very useful in anticipating future communicationproblems, data collected while placed in various positions within thecontainer and with various other packages in the container is naturallymore useful. Additionally, it is useful to obtain data collected whiletraveling at various times of the day and various days of the weekwhereby information may be collected as to typical speeds oftransportation on a given route as well as potential variations in timeto complete a data transfer message due to the number of cell phoneusers accessing available cell phone towers. As will be realized, whendata is collected over time for a given route and/or product type,greater accuracy can be obtained in prediction and therefore the systemmay be appropriately referred to as “learning” preferred configurationsfor supporting and deploying wireless equipment in a given trade lane.Further, when traveling a previously mapped route for whichcommunication data has been collected, the tracking unit can make anattempt to communicate within the area previously deemed as either nocommunication or intermittent communication to learn if adjustments havebeen made to cell phone communication towers, repeaters, transceivers orantennas to modify or eliminate communication problems. It has beenfound that the numbers of communication attempts required beforecommunication initialization is completed is directly indicative of thelikelihood of communication problems regardless of measured or indicatedsignal strength at a given site. Thus, the present invention, as asystem, can continuously adapt to changing technology, repairs, upgradesto wireless network infrastructure, and so forth in a dynamic mannerwhereby the database for any given route may always be up-to-date.

Navigation devices mounted in a vehicle are typically not concerned withsaving battery power and thus typically maintain communication withwhatever source is providing location data. However, when such anavigation device is used as a portable and carried recreation orsporting accessory, battery power usage is a concern. Depending upon howoften a location indication is required, it may be desirable to initiatea new communication location request each time such location data isdesired rather than maintaining communication with a location providingsource.

Referring now to FIG. 1, it will be noted that a transportationcontainer 110, comprising a portion of a highway vehicle like a truck,will have, shown as part of its contents, at least one tracking device112. The tracking device 112 is illustrated as including a CPU 114connected to communicate with a storage device or memory 116, a GPSreceiver 118 and a cell tower communication transceiver 120. Thetracking device may well have sensors (not specifically illustrated) formonitoring the status of any associated goods and would also have othercircuitry such as a power supply in the form of batteries. The trackingdevice 112 may also have further transceivers for Wi-Fi, satellite orother forms of communication or, alternatively, the transceiver 120 maybe in the form of an SDR, as referenced above, designed to operate invarious communication modes simultaneously or serially. Since theseadditional components are well known, it is believed unnecessary tofurther complicate the drawing by illustrating same herein. The GPSreceiver 118 receives signals from satellites represented by a block 122via a communication channel 124 while the transceiver 120 communicatesvia one or more communication channels 126 through a communication cloud128 to a remote transceiver such as a block 130 additionally labeledcentral station. Optionally, the tracking device 112 may include a userinterface 132. The user interface 132 may include a keypad, buttons, atouch pad, a joystick, an additional display, or any other device usefulfor providing an interface between a user and the electronic device 112.While a GPS type device can provide very accurate location data,reasonably accurate location data can also be obtained fromtriangulation in conjunction with surrounding network communicationtowers or other installed network transceivers receiving signals from orotherwise in communication with transceiver 120 and may be utilizedwhere necessary or appropriate. With present technology, it has beendetermined that it is typically more efficient to determine locationusing triangulation techniques in conjunction with surrounding networktowers than obtaining that data from GPS satellites and, accordingly,less battery power is required. Accordingly, even though less accurate,network tower triangulation location is advantageously used inconjunction with this invention.

While in FIG. 1, as illustrated, communication of the tracking device toa central station is shown as being completed through a communicationcloud, programmed cloud servers may be used as a central station to bemonitored by any appropriate authority having the necessary access codesand passwords. That is to say, any variety of topology ranging fromwired connected servers to completely cloud-based systems may be usedand comprise part of the teaching of this invention.

The communication cloud 128 may include any type of network that iscapable of sending and receiving signals, such as wireless signals. Forexample, the communication cloud at any specific time may include awireless telecommunications network, a cellular telephone network, aTime Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA) network, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), aThird Generation (3G) network, a Fourth Generation (4G) network, asatellite communications network, or any other like communicationssystems. More generally, communication cloud 128 may include a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN) and/or a Personal Area Network(PAN). Furthermore, the cloud 128 may include more than one network andmay include a plurality of different types of networks. Thus, the cloudmay include a plurality of data networks, a plurality oftelecommunications networks, a combination of data andtelecommunications networks and other like communication systems capableof sending and receiving communication signals. In operation, theelectronic device 112 can communicate via the cloud 128 with the centralstation 130 and with other devices interconnected with the cloud 128.

In FIG. 2, a map type presentation 202 illustrates a hypothetical route204 that a transportation container might use while traveling from astarting point A to a destination B. As illustrated, the route has aplurality of segments from 206 to 222 with different shading in varioussegments representing the relative signal reception obtained from thetracking device that, as presented, is situated within a given containeralong the route 204 illustrated. In accordance with a reception legend,segments 206, 214 and 222 portray the areas where reception in a givencontainer following this route had a very high quality and isconsistently available. The segments labeled 208, 212, 216, and 220 hada somewhat lower quality of reception but a signal was substantiallycontinuously available and was adequate for communication of data. Thesegment 218 was found to be intermittent in quality for reliablereception and may require considerable repeats of data transmittedbefore a complete transmission of data would be accomplished. A stretchsuch as segment 218 might be found in a lightly populated area such asgoing across a portion of a desert or possibly a mountainous area. Asection labeled 210 is illustrated by the lack of shading in the legendas having no reception whatsoever, such as may be found in a tunnel.

When the program in tracking device 112 determines that it is time tocheck the location, it will actuate a start signal within a block 302 ofthe FIG. 3 subroutine and proceed to a block 304. It should be notedthat the tracking device 112 may determine that it is time to check thelocation not only from the time of the last check but also in responseto other sensed conditions, such as temperature where the cargo istemperature sensitive, shock events that may indicate theft at a timewhen such shock events should not occur, and so forth. In block 304, thesubroutine will access the data within memory 116 for a set of networktower communication data similar to that provided in connection with themap of FIG. 2 as well as data oriented towards obtaining satellitereception for use in triangulation location determination such asaccomplished using today's GPS technology. The subroutine of FIG. 3 willalso determine the approximate present location along whatever route hasbeen followed as determined by the tracking device. This approximatelocation can be based somewhat crudely on the typical speed for thissection of the highway and the time elapsed since the last GPS locationwas obtained or by various sensing devices incorporated with thetracking device as expanded upon infra. This approximate location canalso be determined by a technique known as “dead reckoning”. Suchtechnique need not rely on external wireless signals to perform locationestimation and is known and presently used in various navigation devicespresently being sold. The subroutine will then proceed to a decisionblock 306 where it checks with some type of sensor, such as anaccelerometer or other similar device, to see whether or not any presentmovement of tracking device 112 with respect to the Earth is detected.If indications of movement are detected, or in other words it is notstopped, the subroutine will proceed to decision block 308 to seewhether, from data obtained in block 304, network tower reception isprobable. If it is probable and an initialization routine can becompleted for contact with a tower, the subroutine proceeds to block 310to ascertain present location and record the data obtained. This dataincludes not only location but also signal strength, number of attemptsto contact towers before succeeding and so forth. The location may beobtained directly from the communication network where the networkcontacted normally retains such information and alternately such datamay be determined by the tracking device itself through triangulationalgorithms. Once the data is recorded in memory, the subroutine proceedsto block 312 to reset a clock that may be used for periodic locationchecks and then returns to the start block 302.

Returning back to the tower reception probable decision block 308, if itis determined that tower reception is unlikely, or if an attempt wasmade to contact towers and was not successful, the subroutine proceedsto a decision block 314 to see if the communication data retrieved inblock 304 indicates that satellite GPS reception is probable. If it isdetermined that it is probable, an attempt is made to obtain locationdata from satellites. If successful, the subroutine proceeds to block310 where the appropriate data is recorded, the clock is reset in block312 and the subroutine returns to start block 302. If, on the otherhand, decision block 314 determines the GPS reception is not probable oran attempt was made and was not successful, the subroutine proceeds fromdecision block 314 to a decision block 316. If, in decision block 306,it was determined that the device was not stopped, and if in decisionblock 308 it was determined that tower or other network transceiverreception was not probable, and thus no attempt was made to contact anetwork transceiver in decision block 308 or alternatively it wasattempted and failed, the subroutine in decision block 316 will attemptto ping any nearby network towers indicated in the database. This secondattempt, where the first attempt has failed, may be successful becauseof movement of the tracking device or alternatively that the nearesttower may not be as overloaded by communications from othertransceivers. If successful in initialization of communication with atower, the location data will be ascertained and recorded in block 310and the subroutine will return to its start location as indicated byblock 302. On the other hand, if initialization and communication is notsuccessful as a part of reception decision block 316, the process willcontinue to a decision block 318 to ping location providing satellites,even though the determination in block 304 was that it was improbable,in an attempt to verify or disprove previous data or alternatively toactually succeed in obtaining location from the satellites. Ifsuccessful in establishing communication with the satellite, thesubroutine will again proceed to a block 310 where the data is recorded.If the pinging in decision block 318 is not successful in establishingcontact, the program will proceed to a block 320. In block 320, theguesstimated location obtained in block 304 will be used as a presentposition for any other subroutines and schedule a new location checkattempt in Y seconds. It will also record the number of ping attemptsthat were unsuccessful in attempting to establish communication withnetwork towers by the process initiated in decision blocks 316 and 318,and such data may be retained and forwarded on the next communicationattempt to be used by the system to “learn” additional information aboutthe given route. The process will then return to location start block302.

If, in decision block 306, it is determined that the device is notmoving with respect to Earth geographical coordinates, the process willproceed to a decision block 322 where a check will be made to see if thedevice has been motionless for more than a predetermined number ofseconds X. If it has, the process will proceed to decision block 314 andproceed as referenced above. If, on the other hand, the motionlesscondition has not exceeded X seconds, the process will continue to atime delay block 324 and after a short time delay will return to theinput of the decision block 306 to determine if it is again moving orstill stopped. This check of time stopped may be utilized to determinetemporary stops such as at a stoplight or other stop and go conditions.

The number of attempts to contact a tower or a satellite is an auxiliaryindication of potential communication problems for a given recordedlocation. It is not a direct indication like signal strengths since atower may be temporarily overworked at a given time of day. However, byrecording the number of attempts, a graph or other display may begenerated for use in determining areas to avoid if wirelesscommunication while traveling is a prime consideration. Further, thedata is useful in determining the likelihood of intermittentcommunication in given areas.

As mentioned supra, the determination of present position in connectionwith block 304, sensors in present day tracking devices, usingaccelerometers, gyroscopes or other sensing devices, can very accuratelydetermine speed of a vehicle throughout a transportation cycle and thusan approximate location can be reasonably accurately determined. Suchtechniques are known and in some situations termed “dead reckoning” butmore crudely are referred to as “guesstimating” location. From theapproximate location determined in whatever manner, the device canascertain whether or not GPS reception is probable or improbable as setforth in various decision blocks such as 308 and 314. A furtherrefinement of the subroutine of FIG. 3 may, if desired, include thelikelihood of mountainous areas or “urban canyon” environments where GPStype reception or tower reception might be intermittent, especiallywhile moving, but obtainable with difficulty.

As will be apparent in FIG. 3, when it is determined that the trackingdevice is moving, and from accessing the database as to likelihood oftower reception as shown in decision block 308 as a first attemptedposition calculation, the tracking device uses an alternate method ofcalculating location using satellites. In fact, if neither one of thesemethods of location calculation is likely to be completed, a furtheralternate of the dead reckoning is used.

It should be understood that the tracking device can initiate theprocess detailed in FIG. 3 as a result of any trigger (that is to say, asensor threshold or other intelligent determination by the device orcentral station could start the process and it is not limited to a timeror clock based function only). Additionally, the determination in block322 may well be more complex than a simple timer, and may perhaps be acombination of sensor input, timers, and other various conditions as onemight imagine. As will be apparent infra, the actions taken inconnection with decision blocks 308, 314 and 316, wherein an attempt ismade to complete a communication connection, are similar to actionsdescribed in connection with a gap check subroutine of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tracking device may be designed to use a highaccuracy location determining device when no movement is detected. Whenmovement is detected, high accuracy location determining circuitry isinaccurate by an amount which is a function of the speed of whatevermeans is transporting the tracking device. Thus, preference canadvantageously be given to utilizing a lower accuracy locationdetermining means when motion is detected. As shown in FIG. 3, the highaccuracy determining approach uses satellite GPS, although preference isgiven to the location being determined by land-based tower transceiverswhen motion is detected. When the land-based location method is used,the flow diagram does not even get to the decision block 314 and thusthe high accuracy GPS location determining circuitry is not utilized.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it may be noted that a start block 402 of thissubroutine proceeds to a determination block 404 when the subroutine isactuated in accordance with parameters of the main program. Usingtechniques similar to that mentioned in conjunction with the locationsubroutine of FIG. 3, the tracking device 112 is able to reasonablyaccurately predict the probable location of the next scheduled reporttime in situations where the product is being transported to a specificdestination along a typical and normally used route and assuming thereis no breakdown of the transportation container or the drive vehiclebecomes unavoidably detained in a traffic slowdown. As will be explainedinfra, in situations where there is no predetermined route, it may beassumed that the transportation will continue in the present directionfor the guesstimated location presented in block 404. Since the reportto the central station will typically occur immediately after a locationof some type has been obtained by the subroutine of FIG. 3, no furthercalculations are normally or likely necessary to report the presentlocation. Once the probable location of the next report time isdetermined, a check of the database in memory 116 (or optionally adatabase in central station 130) will allow the device to determinewhether reception is likely to be adequate at the next reportinglocation and the likelihood of any gaps intermediate the presentlocation and the next reporting location. As will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, if memory 116 is inadequate in size to include allthe data for a given transportation distance, the tracking unit memorycan be periodically updated during report cycles to a central or otherremote station. In such situations, the subroutines of FIGS. 3 and 4 maypreferably be executed primarily at the central station. Even wherememory 116 has adequate capacity, it may be desirable to communicate, toa tracking unit, information as to upcoming communication gaps,especially those newly discovered or reported by other means, unsecuredWi-Fi locations, traffic problems that may involve detours from aninitially scheduled route or delays, and so forth, along withalternative actions that might be taken from normal procedures. Thesubroutine will then proceed to decision block 406. If, from thedatabase, it appears that the determined likely location of the nextscheduled report time would have adequate reception, the subroutineproceeds to block 408 where a normal report of time, present location,number of attempts before communication is obtained, and so forth, istransmitted to the central station and the subroutine returns to thestart block 402. If the tracking unit has determined from data in itsmemory that there is likely to be communication gaps or intermittentcommunication problems prior to the next report, this information mayalso be included in the report occurring in block 408. Such informationallows the central station to update the tracking unit with mostrecently obtained data. If, on the other hand, it appears that receptionis likely to be inadequate at the next scheduled report time, thesubroutine proceeds to block 410. At this time, the normal report ispresented including any likely communication problems in a mannersimilar to that as occurred in connection with block 408 and if thetracking device is being used by a system that is concerned with theftor other various transportation problems, the subroutine can report thatit is likely that the next report time may well be bypassed unlessinstructed to attempt other actions. Alternatively, or in addition, theprogram may be designed to issue an advisory to accompany the report asto when it is likely that the next location report will be transmitted.When the transmission set forth in block 410 is complete, the subroutinereturns to the start block 402. As will be obvious, these subroutinesand the various logical determinations may be made in either thetracking device or the central station. If these determinations are madein the central station, instructions may need to periodically be made tothe tracking device as to items like expected duration of an oncominggap, the time of the next report after the gap has been traversed,possible monitored threshold conditions that are at risk of beingviolated before the next reporting opportunity, and so forth.

It should be noted that the tracking device and/or the central systemmay utilize a form of artificial intelligence software. As an example,the tracking device may be monitoring certain aspects of the conditionof an asset (such as temperature). When a determination that adequatereception is likely to be lost for an extended period of time, thecontrol system and/or device may decide to more deeply analyzeappropriately critical data. If, for example, it is determined that itis likely that a communication outage is likely approximately 45 minutesin the future from the present time and that the temperature has beenrising at a rate that will trigger a threshold violation significantlybefore communication is again available, such as in 24 minutes, if thetemperature variation continues at the current rate, the device and/orcontrol system may choose to modify typical or normal report proceduresand issue a pre-alert or advisory alert. As used herein, a pre-alert oradvisory alert is an alert issued prior to a sensed condition reaching acritical value because of some other condition occurring that couldprevent an alert from reaching an authorized entity when it is likelythat, in view of recent events, the critical value will be reached. Asset forth above, an example of “other condition occurring” is adetermination that there is likely to be a wireless communicationproblem when the critical value is probably going to be reached. Such apre-alert or advisory alert may be utilized to inform an appropriateauthority and/or the driver of the transportation vehicle to take someappropriate action, such as taking a detour that would not allow loss ofcommunication or personally checking the temperature in the container orthe operational capability of the temperature modifying device.

It should also be noted, the term periodically, as used in thisdocument, may be time based but also, or alternatively, may occur fromtime to time as a result of preprogrammed instructions, sensor triggeredevents and/or artificial intelligence capabilities of the trackingdevice.

As indicated supra, the central station may be provided with theidentical database information and have a reasonably good idea of wherethe tracking device is and where it will be located at various times andif the central station has adequate computation and/or memorycapability, the tracking device would not always have to provide theadditional information set forth in block 410. This, of course, assumesthat the transportation container does not encounter a traffic slowdownor a breakdown of the container ensemble that would prevent furthermovement. Although it will certainly use more battery power, if thetracking device has limited memory capabilities, the central station mayprovide data for limited length future segments of the transportationroute that the tracking device is able to work from in anticipating whento receive GPS type data and make future reports or utilize previouslyunanticipated actions.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a subroutine gap check start block is labeled502. When this subroutine is called, it proceeds to a block 504 whereina single transmission burst is sent from the tracking device todetermine if a network transceiver contact is possible. This issubstantially the same situation that occurs when a cell phone typedevice is first turned ON except that, typically, upon initial turn on,the cell phone will try a multiplicity of transmission bursts until ittimes out or is otherwise successful in contacting a primary tower forcommunication. By sending a single transmission burst, the trackingdevice can instantly tell whether or not it is still in a complete deadzone or whether or there is a possibility of establishing reliablecommunication. If it is determined in a decision block 506 that there isno present possibility of establishing contact, the program will proceedto a block 508. Within block 508 the wireless tracking device storesdata indicating that there was no contact and provides a location. Thislocation determination may be made using GPS, if available, andotherwise using some type of approximate location computation asmentioned supra. This information can be transmitted to the centralstation as part of the next report. After recording this data, thesubroutine returns to the start block 502. If, on the other hand, indecision block 506, it is determined that there are radio signals of theappropriate frequency and strength detected, the tracking device willattempt to complete a connection. If it is determined in decision block510 that a connection has not been completed with the central station,the process will continue to block 512 where data is stored of the factthat contact with cell phone type transceiver signals was made but thatconnection difficulties prevented a completion of connection. If,however, the connection is determined to have been completed in decisionblock 510, the process will continue to block 514. At this time, thewireless tracking device can record in memory the communication dataavailable at that point and complete a communication with the centralstation whereby the central station is informed that the database forthat portion of the route needs updating. The tracking device mayconsider this as a report time and schedule the next report timeaccordingly as a function of how users of the system want the reportingcycles to be maintained. As an available option, partly in dependenceupon various criteria for the system, battery power available in thetracking device and so forth, the subroutine can either return to block502, after terminating the communication with the central station, or itcan continue recording communication characteristics along with locationdata for the duration of the portion the route that was previously foundto lack reliable communication capability for use in updating the systemdatabase.

The system may be designed for one or more tracking devices to utilizethe subroutine of FIG. 5 every time that one or more tracking devicespass through a dead zone as previously indicated by the database fordynamic learning. Alternatively, the system may be programmed to havetracking devices only utilize the subroutine of FIG. 5 on certainroutes, only when it is suspected that the mobile telephonycommunication provider has modified their system, only when certaintypes of products are being transported or on some periodic basis.

The system as initially described above having different recorded setsof data for different containers allows the system to be used from anystarting point to any destination along presently mapped routes. Whenused in this manner, the loading of tracking devices accompanyingproducts in a transportation container may proceed very rapidly. Itdoes, however, assume that there are no products or objects loaded intothe transportation container that will significantly interfere withreception of wireless signals to or from the tracking device. If,however, there are any communications concerns, when the transportationcontainer is fully loaded, a test check can be made by the centralstation to each tracking device within the transportation container andascertain the signal strength of each device as compared to thepreviously established normal signal strength at that location for thattype of container. The central station may then utilize any noteddeviation or aberration from normal in determining whether or notcontact may be made with any specific tracking device along the route tothe destination of that tracking device in that transportationcontainer. A further step may be taken to notify the entity using thetracking device of such a situation so that corrective actions can beevaluated.

From the above, it will be apparent that a reasonable approximation ofwireless communication gaps can be deduced by the central computer withrespect to any transportation container having tracking devices enclosedtherein by merely checking the signal strength received by the trackingdevice and/or the signal strength received by nearby networktransceivers from the tracking device as compared to previouslyestablished signal strengths along a route nearby the location where thetransportation container has been loaded. In other words, by adding orsubtracting the deviation from the previously established signalstrength not only can likely communication gaps be determined, but alsothe duration of travel of the gaps with reasonable likeliness ofaccuracy. This approach to determining gaps in wireless communicationmay be termed “dynamic” as opposed to the container specificdetermination first set forth, but provides much greater versatility andadequate accuracy in a large majority of cases.

It should be apparent that, by having the central station communicatewith all tracking devices scheduled to be contained within a giventransportation container before leaving the shipping dock, informationas to signal strengths may be used to revise the loading arrangement ifcommunication with a given tracking device that appears to have a lowsignal strength is critical. Also, in some instances, in part dependingon container type, if physical location of each tracking device is alsorequested by the central station, a determination may be obtained as towhether or not all of the tracking devices intended to be in thetransportation container are actually loaded in that transportationcontainer.

As will be realized, communication between a cell phone type device anda communication tower transceiver is dependent on both the strengths ofthe received signal by the cell phone type device and by the signalstrength received by the transceiver from the cell phone type device.Thus, communication gaps and/or the length of time a communication gapcontinues may be due to the strength (or lack of received signalstrength) of the signal transmitted from the cell phone type device toany receiving nearby communication transceivers as well as the strengthof the signal received by the cell phone type device as shown by a setof bars on many cell phones. The low received signal strength at thenearby communication transceivers may be due to faulty circuitry in thecell phone type signal transmitter in the tracking device or it may bedue to placement of the device in a container with other productsincluding signal shielding metal that prevent the transmitted signalfrom exiting the container at the normally obtained signal strength. Asis known, there is a capability in at least some types of wirelesscommunication systems whereby the signal is received at a networktransceiver from a cell phone type device and, as part of theinteraction between a given cell phone type device and the networktransceiver, the power transmitted by the cell phone is adjusted, inaccordance with commands returned by the network transceiver to the cellphone type device, in an attempt to prevent crosstalk between signalsfrom that cell phone type device and the many other messages that theantenna of the network transceiver is receiving from other similardevices. This adjustment is designed so that the cell phone or othermobile wireless communication device is transmitting minimum power whennear a communication tower and maximum when it is far away.

To more accurately predict when communication gaps are most likely tooccur, it is desirable, when using the present invention, for the userto have some type of indication of signal strength presently beingreceived by nearby network transceivers after the container is fullyloaded with products to be transported, as well as signal strengthreceived by the tracking device from any nearby network transceivers, ascompared to the signal strength obtained in preparing databases ofsignal characteristics for the present transportation event from startto finish. As referred to supra, when these two signal strengths, asreceived by the network transceiver and as received by the trackingdevice, are known, this data can be used as part of a calibrationtechnique to adjust values retrieved from a database that exists for agiven route and adjust or otherwise modify these values in accordancewith the calibration measurements obtained for either a differentcontainer or for an unusual packing situation of a normally usedcontainer that produces a significant modification of transmission andreception characteristics for the tracking device in that container. Itwill thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that a combination ofthe device perspective and the wireless network perspective may be usedto very accurately analyze the situation, or alternatively one can usethe device only or the network only perspective to practice theinvention with only minimal degradation in accuracy.

The signal strength indication of a given situation may be reasonablydeduced by presently available portable meter instruments which canmeasure signal strength of a given transmitted signal emitted from acontainer by a specific tracking device in comparison to previous signalstrength measurements that have been correlated with a nearbycommunication tower or other network transceiver data. As part ofquality of service measurements by communication network transceivers,signal strength from a given cell phone type transmitting device is oneof the characteristics measured. This measurement is made for manyreasons including at least that when the cell phone communication systemnotes that signal strength is degrading as received from a particularcell phone type device, the network transceiver can instruct the cellphone type device to increase the output power as mentioned above, oralternatively the communication system can arrange to have anothercommunication tower network transceiver that is noting a rise in signalstrength from that cell phone type device take over receiving andrelaying the signal to a given destination. Thus, it is also possible tomake arrangements with the wireless signal supplier (or suppliers) alonga given transportation route to obtain signal strength measurements foruse in helping determine why communication at various locations along aroute are nonexistent or intermittent. Any of the above arrangements maybe used in providing more accuracy in determining when communicationproblems are most likely to occur and the duration thereof by adjustingthe previously obtained database supplied values. In other words, if itis determined that the tracking device is positioned such in thecontainer that the signal received by the network transceiver is ofgreater power or if it is otherwise determined that the tracking devicehas been commanded to reduce its power and if likewise the signalreceived by the tracking device from the network transceiver is higher,it would be less likely that a given area would have intermittentcommunication. In similar manner, if a given gap in communication weremerely due to distance from nearby network transceivers and not toenvironmental obstructions such as tunnels, a mountain and so forth, itis likely that the gap in communication would be shorter in durationthan occurred in connection with setting up the database originally.Since communication network transceiver antenna location data is readilyavailable to a system controlling computer, the reason for the gap willnormally be discernible from available data when that determination isdeemed appropriate. However, a distance gap is typically discernible bynoting the gradual degradation of received strength that occurs fromdistance as opposed to the relatively sudden degradation of receivedsignal strength that usually occurs due to an environmental obstruction.Computer software may thus determine, through such an analysis asdescribed above, whether the tracking device is operating in asubstantially normal manner or whether its communications capabilitieshave been degraded due to an obstruction. Such information is of valuefor predictive purposes when making determinations of likelihood ofcommunication gaps.

It should be noted that while saving of battery power has been, to someextent, emphasized above, there are many additional reasons for beingable to predict communication gaps or intermittent service. Entitiesthat request tracking service for very valuable merchandise may want tohave local authorities notified if the gap or other communicationproblem area coincides with an area where similar containers have beenhijacked by thieves. In a similar manner, local authorities may need tobe notified that a container of hazardous material is passing through anarea that cannot be monitored due to communication problem areas andthat the local authorities should be aware of the situation. By beingable to predict communication gaps or problem areas, the operator of thetransportation container may be notified prior to a communication gapthat the gap is expected at a given future mileage indicator or otherknown positions in the route being traveled and the operator may beinstructed to use some other form of communication for a given distance,such as CB radio. Depending upon prior data available to the centralunit or the tracking device, the operator of a transportation vehiclemay be instructed to report in at given times because the prior dataillustrates it's a high-security risk or merely to report if there is aproblem within the area designated by the system if it is determinedfrom data obtained from legal enforcement entities or from previouslyobtained system data that there is substantially no likelihood ofproblems within the area of the communication gap. Also, by knowing withhigh probability where communication problems or gaps occur for a giventransportation mode and container, an entity requesting high-securitytracking, when advised that there is an alternate route available thatmay be slower or longer but has no communication gaps, may choose thealternate route, especially where the user has already chosen to havecontinuous communication rather than periodic reporting whereby thetracking unit can monitor and report some aspect of the environment withrespect to the product being tracked.

The central unit may also have access to databases providing informationrelative reported traffic incidents, road construction and repairs andweather conditions. Such additional data may be used by the central unitin determining the length of time that a container is likely to staywithin the zone where reliable communication is nonexistent or at leastunlikely or intermittent. Such additional information is useful inpredicting the timeframe of communication problems by either the centralunit or the tracking device along with present speed of the containerand the likelihood that that speed is likely to continue or vary basedon previously obtained data. Either the tracking device or the centralunit may include the capability of notifying an authority such as anentity responsible for initiating the tracking service that the deviceis about to enter a zone with a history of unreliable communicationincluding the time that the device is likely to remain in that zonewhereby that entity can take whatever steps are deemed appropriate bythat entity for the time that the device is in the specified zone. In asimilar manner, the tracking device may automatically notify appropriatelegal authorities of the situation whereby the legal authorities cantake any appropriate steps they may feel are necessary to monitor thesituation. Such notification would be especially important when thecontainer includes hazardous materials.

Although thus far this invention has been primarily described inconjunction with a tracking device internal to a transportationcontainer, many of the concepts presented will apply equally well to anytracking (including navigation) device on a vehicle such as are used inthe trucking industry on the cabs as well as by many corporate fleetoperations to keep track of every vehicle in a fleet. Thus with adatabase of the type mentioned above, operators of fleet vehicles may benotified directly by the tracking device or by a central station that anupcoming data gap is likely to occur at a given point in travel andthat, if in a high crime area, they need to be more alert or that theyneed to use another form of communication if there are problems.Further, the central station would be aware that if the vehiclecontinued in the same direction, there should be a communication againat a reasonably predictable time and, if no communication occurred, thenan alert would be issued. It should be noted that, in response to adetermination that there is an extended upcoming communication gap, thetracking device may be instructed to, or on its own initiative may,alter various monitored thresholds, sensor sampling intervals, orfeedback mechanisms. As an example, the device may sample particularsensors, such as door/breach sensors, more rapidly in an effort to moreclosely monitor the situation during such coverage gaps or the devicemay revert to high decibel alarms or other countermeasures as theprimary response to unauthorized access detection, or other distressnotification methodology, when the device knows that it can't send widearea communications.

While the present invention was originally designed for use inconjunction with tracking devices attached to products being deliveredto destinations along established routes of transportation, thecommunication gap alert capability is readily adaptable to any wirelessnavigation or tracking device whether used in sports, navigation,hiking, or other recreational activities. In FIG. 6, a block 602represents the present position of a tracking device on the display of anavigation or tracking device carried by an individual that is presentlyheading in a northerly direction toward an unknown destination. Thisdisplay is similar to that provided on present day navigation devicesfor cars. Thus, the display of the tracking device 602 may display allof the components shown in FIG. 6. At present, it may be assumed thatthe individual is traversing a state highway 206 additionally labeled604. As illustrated, in addition to state highway 206, there is a UShighway 82 additionally labeled as 606, an interstate freeway 27additionally labeled as 608 and a further state highway 31 additionallylabeled as 610. In addition, there are a plurality of pentagon shapeswith the letter N illustrated within and labeled 612 on both sides ofhighway 604 to the north of the present position of tracking device 602.The shapes 612 represent geographical locations on the display that havebeen previously found to have no wireless communication capability. Inthe area around the shapes 612 are a plurality of further pentagonshapes 614 having the letter I contained therein which representlocations where wireless communication is intermittent. Elsewhere on thedisplay, there are a plurality of pentagon shapes having the letter Acontained therein representing areas or locations where it has beendetermined that adequate wireless reception has been found. Some of thepentagon shapes containing the letter A are designated as 616. Finally,there are a plurality of pentagon shapes including the letter Vrepresenting locations where very good wireless reception has beenreported. Some of these pentagon shapes including the letter V aredesignated as 618.

The user of the tracking device 602 can quickly determine that, if theuser continues in the same direction as present, the user will soonenter an area where no wireless communication will be available.However, by deterring either to the left or to the right, there are manylocations reported as having very good wireless communicationcapability. Thus, if the user is traveling in a vehicle, the user couldtake US highway 82 labeled 606 to where it intersects with state highway31 labeled 610 to return to an upper portion of a highway 604. If theuser of tracking device 602 is hiking, walking or running, the user canstill deviate slightly from the original northerly route to either theleft or right and maintain the wireless connection.

While the types of wireless connection signal strength are shown usingfour alphabetical designations at various geographical locations,additional levels of signal strength or communication capability may beadded where appropriate and may be shown by various types of shading,such as shown in FIG. 2, or by numerical designations such as from 0 to9. On the other hand, the complexity of the drawing could beconsiderably reduced in many applications of the invention by onlyshowing the locations of no communication and/or intermittentcommunication. Alternatively, such information could be displayed usingvarious colors and intensities to provide a heat map type ofvisualization that shows areas of intermittent coverage in faded colorsand areas of very good or nonexistent coverage in dark rich colors, withthe colors coordinated with the type of coverage present (i.e., verygood as green, nonexistent as red, intermittent as faded yellow, etc.).

As mentioned supra, FIG. 7 is a rudimentary illustration of potentialroutes that might be taken in transporting products between points A andB. One route is illustrated as a direct line on a country or farm tomarket road designated as FM 3 as well as a designation of route 702. Aslightly longer route is designated as a state highway route 514 and isgiven an additional designation of 704. A slightly longer route yet isgiven a designation of US highway 12 along with a further designation of706. Finally, a route could be taken first using an interstate highwaydesignated as 21 and provided with an additional designation of 708 fromthe origin point A to where it intersects with an interstate highwaylabeled 40 as well as the previous route designation of 708. As shown ina reception legend, using the same representations of reliable wirelesscommunication as shown in FIG. 2, the route 708 using the two interstatehighways has very good communication reception the entire distance as istypical with interstate highways. The farm to market road 702, as shown,has several areas 712, 714 and 716 where there is no wirelesscommunication according to documented records. Further, there are aplurality of areas or locations along route 702 that have been found tohave intermittent communication during various checks of communicationalong this route. Each of these areas on route 702 is designated as 718.A few areas on route 702 have a designation of 720 indicative ofadequate reception when last checked. The only good or very goodcommunication occurred at both ends of the route 702. As may beobserved, the slightly longer state highway route designated as 704 doescontain a fairly long portion of the route 722 of intermittentcommunication and a shorter stretch 724 with no reception. As presented,route 706, illustrated as being along a US highway 12, shows only ashort stretch 726 as having been determined in the recent past as havingintermittent reception, with adequate or very good reception throughoutthe rest of the transportation path 706 between points A and B. Thereare additional dashed line cloudlike symbols in this figure that arelabeled HCT & HCG to indicate high crime areas. A first one isdesignated as 728 and covers a sparsely populated area and coversportions of each of the routes 702, 704 and 706. More specifically, itcovers an intermittent reception portion 718 of route 702 as well as theno reception portion 724 of route 704. In addition, it covers a portionof the adequate reception section of route 706. For the purposes of thisdiscussion, this cloud and another cloud 730 to be discussed inconnection with route 702 represent areas where transportation vehicleshave often been targeted for theft of products from the vehicles and asignificant number have even been the result of forced stops on thehighway. The cloud 730 includes a portion of route 702 having adequatewireless reception in all instances of previous checks as indicated inthe database of the central computer or central station of FIG. 1. Afurther cloud 732 at the intersection of interstate highways 21 and 40also represents a high crime area as is often the case at theintersection of interstate highways but with minimal transportationvehicle thefts being limited primarily to vehicles parked overnight atmotels.

While the map or presentation of FIG. 7 is somewhat elementary forpurposes of explanation, it is representative of what the present systemcan generate from collected material obtained from both communicationrelated and crime statistics. The high crime statistics may be obtainedfrom law enforcement agencies as well as material collected from clientsusing the system. As may be observed, the shortest and most direct route702 along farm to market road 3 includes several sections that have nowireless communication capability along with the area 718 withintermittent capability and located in an area known to have high crimeproblems involving transportation vehicles. The second shortest routealong state highway 514 further designated as 704 includes a section 724of no communication right in the middle of a high crime area whereinthere are many reported instances of transportation vehicles beingstopped and hijacked. The route 706 along the US highway 12, asillustrated, is shorter than the route 708 using the two interstates 21and 40, but also passes through high crime area 728. While there is asection 726 that has intermittent reception, the section of route 706passing through the high crime area has always, at least recently,provided adequate reception of wireless signals. Presented with thisdisplay, an entity wishing to transport high-value items may well decidethat it is completely undesirable to attempt either routes 702 or 704and make the decision on the difference in total distance between usingthe two interstates as opposed to the US highway 706 since the portionthat runs through a high crime rate area has adequate communicationcapabilities and if using the tracking components of the presentinvention, legal authorities could potentially arrive in time to foilany hijackers of the transportation vehicle. A table may be readilygenerated containing the length of travel for each of the routesdisplayed in FIG. 7. Such a table is not displayed since it is wellwithin the capability of anyone skilled in the art of computerprogramming.

Using the data that was accessed to provide the display of FIG. 7, aranking table may quickly be generated ranking each of the routes beingconsidered using risk factors such as set forth in the table I below.The values of the risk factor designations utilized will vary withlocation, time and experience but for the purpose of this disclosurewill be assumed to be as shown below. As will be obvious, the longer thedistance to a given destination, the more risk there is that somethingwill happen whether it is theft or an accident in which thetransportation vehicle is involved. Thus in determining a risk factorranking, number of miles over the minimum possible is a consideration.In the risk assessment as presented herein, the minimum mileage is thestraight line distance between the beginning of the trip and thedestination. Seldom is there a transportation route that provides adirect minimum mileage connection although such a route is shown asroute 702 in FIG. 7. Thus each of the other routes illustrated wouldhave a deduction of 0.1 for each mile in excess of the assumed 400 miledistance between points A and B. Since the tracking device requires sometype of communication capability to report problems to law enforcementor to the central computer, there is significant risk for each miletraveled with no reception.

As shown in the risk factor table I for the area under consideration,the risk factor is increased by 0.9 for each mile traveled wherein ithas been determined there is no reception of communication signals. Therisk factor for intermittent reception is less but still considered tobe 0.5 per mile while there is no additional assumed risk factor foradequate or very good reception. For the number of miles that atransportation vehicle has to traverse a route where there is noreception and the portion of the route involved has been determined tohave a high crime area with a significant number of transportationvehicles being involved in the crimes, the risk factor is considered tobe increased by 2.8 while it is increased by 1.6 for intermittentreception and only 0.4 where the reception is adequate or very goodsince the wireless tracking device with sensors can report aberrationssensed, such as doors opening at a location where they should not havebeen opened, as well as other events such as vibrations or shocksconsistent with unloading products from the vehicle. Thus the situationcan be reported to the central computer and/or to nearby law enforcementagencies. In areas where there is high crime but no significant problemsconcerning transportation vehicles, such as the HCG area 732 in FIG. 7,the risk factor, while still significant, is determined to be only 1.9per mile where there is no reception, 0.9 wherein there is intermittentreception and only 0.1 where there is adequate or very good reception.

TABLE I Risk Factor Type Area Deduc Miles over minimum 0.1 No reception0.9 Intermittent reception 0.5 HCT no reception 2.8 HCT intermittent 1.6HCT A or VG 0.4 HCG no reception 1.9 HCG intermittent 0.9 HCG A or VG0.1

As approximately shown in the illustration of FIG. 7, the route 702,with the indicated minimum 400 miles, has 137 miles of no receptionaccording to the database, 182 miles of intermittent reception, 45 milesof HCT intermittent reception, and 11 miles of HCT involvement withaverage or very good communication reception. When each of these milesis multiplied times the deduction value shown in the risk factor tableI, and each of these products added together to form a total, the riskfactor that would be projected would be 290.7. For route 704, theinformation from the database would indicate that the total distancetraveled would be 503 miles, so 103 would be multiplied times 0.1 andthe remaining values of 45 miles of no reception, 206 miles ofintermittent reception, 40 miles of HCT no reception, and 38 miles ofHCT adequate to very good reception as multiplied by the appropriatevalues in the risk factor table I would provide a total risk factor of281. The route along US highway 12 or route 706 is 617 miles or 217miles over the minimum. This value, combined with the recorded 40 milesof intermittent reception and 52 miles of HCT adequate and very goodreception, would indicate a risk factor of only 62.5. The final routeusing the two interstate routes of route 708 would utilize the extra 331miles along with the 102 miles of that being in the HCG area of averageand very good wireless reception area for a risk factor of 43.3. Insummary, as set forth in the risk factor table II, the risk factors forroutes 702, 704, 706, and the final route 708 are respectively 290.7,281, 62.5, and 43.3. According to the analysis generated by thecomputer, either route 706 or the interstate route would besignificantly safer than the two shortest routes.

The traffic manager for the entity requesting the transportation maythen make an informed decision as to which route to take utilizing onlythe projected risk factors or may be provided with the additionalinformation as presented in FIG. 7 as to types of crimes committed oneach of the routes.

TABLE II Risk Factor 702 290.7 704 281 706 62.5 708 43.3

As may be determined, if the communication network were to alter thelocation of their transceivers so that section 724 of route 704 wastransformed from no reception to intermittent reception, the risk factorwould be reduced to 223, and if section 724 was transformed to adequateor very good reception, the risk factor would drop further to 124.9.Thus the information generated by the system could well be used by atransportation entity having access to this data to convince thecommunication network to improve reception in this portion of route 704.

Similar alterations in the risk factor results may be quickly determinedfrom the computation unit accessing the database for other changes, suchas crime and communication statistics, in the available transportationroutes.

As mentioned supra, when a tracking device is about to enter an area ofunreliable or no communication capabilities, the tracing device mayadvantageously modify its operation to sense various conditions moreoften and may include making attempts at determining location and orreports to the central station even though information in the databaseindicates that such actions are unlikely to be successful. Further, whenthe tracking device determines it is in an area of unreliablecommunication, it may additionally use an audible alert for a sensedbreach of the container rather than merely reporting a sensed conditionthat it may be programmed to do when it's in an area of adequate or verygood communication capabilities.

As outlined above, the system can provide a ranking of the variousroutes as a function of risk factor as shown in table II. However, thesystem is much more versatile than that and can provide a ranking bycost taking into account fuel used for the extra mileage and wear andtear on the transportation vehicle as well as potentially differentcommunication costs depending upon costs attributable to networkproviders along the route as well as other items like potential overtimewage costs where applicable. Additionally, the ranking may be bycommunication type available or, in other words, CDMA versus GSM versusWi-Fi and so forth. The ranking may also be by data speed both presentlyavailable, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and so forth, as well as variousnomenclatures of data speed in the future. Although not set forth in theexample above, the risk factor may be more specifically detailed toinclude speed limits as well as typical speeds for given hours of theday and days of the week since time in a communication gap is normallynot as much of a problem at 70 miles an hour as it is at 20 miles anhour. Additionally, time of day for transportation may be included inthe ranking as night transportation is invariably more risky from acrime standpoint than is daylight transportation. The computer systemmay also, if desired, include, in the ranking, the pollution load to theenvironment in taking a longer route versus a shorter route. Thus theranking illustrated above, while elementary in presentation, is merelyillustrative of the capability of the system at presenting rankingsusing any combination of factors as set forth above and other criterianot specifically set forth.

Since the system database includes signal characteristics of networksignals available and usable along any of the routes underconsideration, and, since as mentioned above, the ranking can includecommunication types available, a ranking may be provided as to whichcommunication network provider has the most reliable communication forany given route. This information may be purchased by networkcommunication providers whereby network sponsored advertising messagesmay be included in the data provided a customer as to how a givennetwork signal provider is superior and should be utilized in preferenceto other potential network providers available for that route or otherroutes.

In summary, to practice the present invention, the communicationcharacteristics are obtained at a plurality of locations of interest.Since the difference in signal strength inside as well as outside agiven container can easily be determined, an adjustment, negative orpositive, can quickly be made in any calculation utilized to determinethe likelihood of communication in an area with low signal strength aslong as it is known whether a given set of communication characteristicswas obtained at a point inside or outside a container. Since signalstrength characteristics made by communication companies are typicallymade in open spaces, these signal strength values and likelihood ofmaintaining communication would be reduced by an appropriate amount indetermining whether or not communication could be maintained by atracking device within a container. On the other hand, measurements ofsignal strength made within a container at a given location would bemodified upwardly when used in connection with a recreation typetracking device typically used in the open.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the communicationsignal strength and quality detection of recording instruments need tohave an antenna of similar construction to whatever tracking device isto be used with the invention although in many cases the tracking deviceitself can be used rather than a substitute for communication signalstrength detection within the container. In actuality, the database canbe prepared over time from using data actually obtained from smartwireless tracking devices themselves that have not had the programmingsubroutines such as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Preferably thesecharacteristics are obtained over a period of time using multiplepassages along appropriate routes such as shown in FIG. 2. Preferablythe multiple passages will be made with different loadingcharacteristics since other packages and placements of the trackingdevice will to some extent affect communication characteristics. Theultimately used characteristics may then be made using either an averageof all those obtained, the average of all those obtained for certaindays, the average of those specifically used at certain times of the dayor even the worst communication characteristics for a given location onany portion of the transportation route. A multitude of analysis methodscan be used with the current invention, and the specific disclosuresdefined should not be considered limitations of the possible analysistechniques that can be used beneficially with this invention.

Various characteristics of the installations can be utilized to informusers of “best practices”. As an example, it may be determined thatspecific orientations of the device, regardless of packing or locationin the container, are better predictors of signal strength issues. Thecharacteristics used depend on what amount of detail a customer usingthe tracking device requires to provide any designated protection for aproduct associated with the tracking device. The set of characteristicschosen are inserted in a database that may be accessed by the wirelesstracking device 112 and preferably are contained in memory storage ofthe tracking device. However, as mentioned above, the characteristicsand the database may alternately be stored and maintained in a centralcomputer and data communicated to the tracking device as necessaryand/or appropriate. The communication characteristics should preferablybe both location indicative satellite reception and whatever land-basedmobile wireless communication network transceiver data communication isto be used by the wireless tracking device. The wireless trackingdevice, or the central unit, will typically be set up for obtaininglocation data at set intervals and will typically report accumulateddata to a remote central station at predetermined time intervals. Whenthe tracking device contains additional sensors for monitoring, forexample, the status of a product associated with the tracking devicereports may be provided to the central station intermediate the normalpredetermined time intervals of reporting. Typically the tracking devicewill then alter its next reporting time to the predetermined timeinterval typically used unless the tracking software determines thatcommunication problems, that are likely to affect battery life or safetyof the product being tracked, will occur at roughly the time that thetracking device is next scheduled to report to the central station. Whensuch a communication problem is ascertained, the next report may, as analternate action to be taken in areas of unreliable communication, bescheduled sooner or later than the predetermined time interval typicallyused. The same scenario applies to obtaining location information fromany GPS type satellites.

The data collected in the above mentioned one or more databases relativethe signal characteristics obtained along a transportation route will,on many routes, include data from various wireless network providerssuch as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T Mobile, as well as data on speedsof transportation at various locations on the route and times of day thespeed was obtained and so forth as mentioned supra. Thus maps similar tothat shown in FIG. 7 can be generated that are network providerspecific. Alternatively, the database information can be analyzed tocompare various metrics including signal characteristics along a givenroute for two or more wireless network providers. Advertising materialmay then be generated illustrating why a given wireless network providermay provide superior wireless coverage as compared to one or more otherwireless network providers for a given transportation route. Suchadvertising material may then be directed to appropriate personnel ofcompanies using the one or more transportation routes for attempting toconvince a company that it should use that network provider since thenetwork provides superior wireless performance and, accordingly,communication safety of not only tracking devices but any other wirelessdevices that might be used by personnel on that transportation route.The advertising solicitation, in appropriate circumstances, may includeincentives or wireless service subscription inducements such as coupons,discounts or additional services not directly related to a wirelessservice subscription.

The present invention includes the expectation that future solicitationof wireless service may be timeframe and/or location specific. In otherwords, information may be available that a wireless customer, whether ornot any present customer of a given wireless service provider, will beat a location, be traveling a given transportation route or will havewireless communication equipment at a given location or traveling somespecific transportation route, wherein a given wireless service providermay have either superior service in one or more respects or the onlyservice available. Thus, an analysis of such wireless service at thatlocation along with a quotation of service for a given time period maywell be adequate incentive for that customer to accept the servicequoted and potentially be a customer for wireless service, with thewireless service provider presenting the quotation, beyond the specifiedtime.

The metrics involved in the comparison may be singular or multiple.However, they would be likely to include at least one of the followingsignal characteristics or other items pertinent to reliabletransportation relative at least in part to adequate wirelesscommunication reliability: (1) number of unreliable communication gapsin a route, (2) total distance of unreliable communication in a route,(3) average signal strength of a route, (4) type of carrier providingnetwork signals along the route, (5) average speed maintainable alongthe route, (6) proximity of specified services along a route, (7) typeof wireless service connectivity speed available along the route, (8)cost of wireless service available along the route, (9) compatibility ofwireless service with certain commercially available mobile devicesalong the route, (10) location of specified services along a route, (11)criminal history affecting transportation at locations along a route,(12) severity of crime rates in areas through which the route passes,(13) types of crimes committed in areas through which the route passes,and (14) types of communication problems. A more advanced advertisingpresentation may include determining all the specific stops typicallymade by a specific entity, such as UPS® or FedEx®, and determining ordevising, in a manner similar to that used in connection with FIG. 7, aroute which might be longer than one presently used by the entity butwhich has superior communication reliability than the one presentlyused. Such a presentation is likely to make a significant impression ona potential customer that is concerned about communication reliability,especially a customer providing transportation of products wherebyclients of that transportation entity may continuously be kept informedof location of a product being transported.

Having thus described the present invention by reference to certain ofits preferred embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosedare illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range ofvariations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplatedin the foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of thepresent invention may be employed without a corresponding use of theother features. Many such variations and modifications may be considereddesirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of theforegoing description of preferred embodiments. Accordingly, it isappropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in amanner consistent with the scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. Location determining apparatus comprising:preferred location determining circuitry; alternate location determiningcircuitry; movement sensing circuitry operable to detect presentlyoccurring movement; and selection circuitry operating to initiateoperation of said preferred location determining circuitry whilepresently occurring movement of said location determining apparatus isdetected and to alternately initiate operation of said alternatelocation determining circuitry when it is detected that presentlyoccurring movement of said location determining apparatus is notoccurring.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alternatelocation determining circuitry is activated only after lack of detectionof presently occurring movement exceeds a predetermined time. 3.Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alternate locationdetermining circuitry provides higher accuracy in determining locationthan does the preferred location determining circuitry.
 4. Apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said selection circuitry operates to detectwhen said movement sensing circuitry indicates present movement.
 5. Amethod of obtaining location data via an electronic device whileproceeding to a destination: detecting whether or not said electronicdevice is presently moving with respect to a geographical location;using a first determination of location method while movement of saidelectronic device is sensed; and using a second determination oflocation method when no movement of said electronic device is sensed,said first determination of location method having a lower accuracy oflocation determination than said second determination of locationmethod.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein: said first determination oflocation method is a substantially ground-based determination oflocation that comprises triangulation of signals interchanged withnearby network transceivers; said presently occurring movement sensingcircuitry includes a motion sensor; and said second determination oflocation method is a satellite based determination of location.
 7. Themethod of claim 5 wherein: said first determination of location methodis communication network-based determination of location that comprisestriangulation; said presently occurring movement sensing circuitryincludes a motion sensor; and said second determination of locationmethod is present movement sensed based determination of location.